Billing device



` 1,694,647 J' L GARFIELD BILLING DEVICE Filed Aug 6. 1926 FIQI.

Patented Der. ll l, l.

JAMES L. GARFIELD, F DREXEL -ILL, PENSYLVAN..

BELLNG DEVXCE.

Application `Iled August 6, 1926.

My invention is particularly designed for recording amounts to be charged to hotel guests, although not restricted to that specilic use.

As hereinafter described, my invention includes a triplicate bill. conveniently formed of a single sheet of paper having, upon the saine face thereof, similar printed forms upon the upper and lower thirds thereof, separated by a coating of transfer material covering substantially one-third of the length of the sheet; said sheet being foldable upon two perforated transverse lines dividing the sheet in three equal parts; the .sheet being folded to present the lower printed form outermost and in registry with the similar form printed at the top of said sheet, but with the inter- `mediate coated portion of the sheet presented with its coated face toward the form printed at the top of the sheet. lfilhen thus folded, any mark made upon the outermost form, printed at the bottom of the sheet, is transferr-ed, in the saine position, on the form printed at the top of the sheet. Each of the three sections of the sheet has notches, at respectively opposite edges thereof, and preferably two notches at each such edge, for engagenient with filing means, conveniently a holder sheet of stiff paper having` li/shaped tabs formed therein with points directed toward the center of the holder, in position to register' with the notches in said bill.

My invention includes the various novel features of construction and arrangement hereinafter more definitely specified.

ln said drawings; Fig. l is a plan view of a single sheet embodying my invention.

Fig. H is a perspective view of said sheet, folded in triple form, to show the three sections of said sheet.

Fig. lll is a plan view showing a convenient form of holder for the folded sheet indicated in Fig. ll.

Fig. lV is a plan view showing such a bill form as indicated in Fig. ll detachably engaged with the holder indicated in lll.

Fig. V is a plan view showing a. bill form h aving single notches in opposite edges thereof, adapted for engagement with the holder shown in Fig. lll.

As shown in Fig. l; a single sheet l, of paper or other -suitable fabric, is perforated in two lines 9. and 3 dividing said sheet in three sections 5, 6 and 7. Said sections 5 and l are printed with forms 9 and l0, which may be precisely alike, and which include appro- Serial No. 2'?,544.-.

priately designated spaces-for entries. For instance, in the specimen illustrated, such spaces may be designated Date, Forward, Room, Restaurant,

rhoncs Local Phones la. DF?, Cash, iialet, Baggage, Laundry, Sundries,

fetal/7, Rebates, Credits, Forward to, and Forward from. The intermediate sec-l tion G of said sheet l is provided with a coating l2 of carbon compound or some other transfer material.

As .shown in Fig. lil g said sheet l is folded, in respectively opposite directions, upon its perforated lines 2 and 8, to present the section l uppermost and in registry with the section 5, with the intermediate section 6 presenting the coating l2 upon its surface in opposition to the printed surface of Said se@ tion 5. The construction and arrangement aforesaid are such that any niark made upon the face of the section 7 will be copied upon the section 5 by transfer of the coating 12 from the intermediate section 6. Such marks are indicated at l5 to 8l inclusive in the spaces designated as above named.

Said section is intended to be delivered to the hotel guest or other debtor when detached from the remainder of the sheet, by severance upon the dotted line 3. rlhe section 5 is intended to be retained. as the record of the hotel or other creditor. The section 6 may be detached from the section 5 at the line 2. and be discarded.

Said sheet l is conveniently provided with similar notches and 35 upon opposite edges thereof; such notches being conveniently arranged in respective pairs with points eX- tending inwardly with respect to the edge of the sheet. Such notches may be formed in the sheet l either before or after the latter is folded and preferably afterward.

As indicated in Fig. lll; a holder 37 may be conveniently formed of a rectangular piece of stiff paper, or other suitable fabric, preferably slightly larger than the dimensions of the bill form shown in l* if and have tabs 38 and 39 formed in unitary relation therewith, includingl oppositely counterpart projections extending toward the center of the holder. l find it convenient to malte said tabs 88 and triangular and pointed, by cutting through the substance of said holder 37, upon lines the opposite ends of which are in right angular relation with each other, as best shown in Fig. Hl. llt is -to be noted that such cutting merely slits and lli does not remove any of the substance of said holder 37. The upper and lower edges of said tabs 38 and 39 may be respectively engaged with the pairs of notches 3st and 35, as indicated in Fig. lV. However, as shown in Fig. V, such ta is 38 and 39 may be respectively engaged with single notches -ll and l2 in the opposite edges of the bill form 7. ln either case; said tabs overlap, and effect inutual n'edging engagement of the holder and billing sheet, and thus detachably hold, the billing sheet l, against accidental displacement in any direction.

Such holders 37 may be assembled in series in any suitable filing device, being merely employed to facilitate handling the billing sheets l aforesaid, and vmay be identilied with the number of the room occupied by the guest to Whom the charges entered thereon are made, or may be marked with the name of such debtor, or be otherwise distinctively identified, in any suitable manner and by any suitable means.

Therefore, l do not desire to limit myself to the precise details of construction and arrangement herein set forth, as it is obvious that various modiiications maj. be made therein Without departing from the essential features of my invention, as defined in the appended claims.

l claim:

l. i rectangular sheet, having pairs of V- shaped notches, in opposite edges thereof, each pair adapted to contemporaneously engage, between them, the same projecting element of tiling means, and thus nedgingly engage said element at opposite edges thereof and prevent displacement of said sheet in anyY direction With reference to such filing means.

2. fr rectangular sheet, having a folding line intermediate of opposite edges thereof and parallel with said edges, and pairs of ll'- shaped notches in the other opposite edges thereof, each pair adapted to contemporaneously engage, between them, the same element of tiling means.

3. A rectangular sheet, having a folding line intermediate of opposite edges thereof and parallel with said edges, and V-shaped notches in the other opposite edges thereof, adapted to engage tiling means; such notches being counterpart upon opposite sides of said folding line and adapted to register ivhen said sheet is folded on said line; whereby the notched portions of said sheet primarilyv remote from each other are adapted to register With the same element of liling means.

et. A rectangular sheet, having two folding lines extending parallel With opposite edges thereof, dividing said sheet in three sect-ions of equal dimensions, and ii-shaped notches, in opposite edges of said sheet, in each of sai/l sections, adapted to register when said sheet is folded on said lines, and to engage the same element of liling means.

5. n rectangular sheet, having pairs of open notches, in opposite. edges thereof, adapted to Wedgingly e1 kage the same clement of iiling means; said notches being V- shaped.

(l. El rectangular sheet, having pairs of l1' -shaped notches, in opposite edges thereof, adapted to engage, between them, the same element of filing ineens.

7. fr rectangular sheet, having pairs of ill-shaped notches, in opposite edges thereof, adapted to engage filing means; said notches being adapted to WedginglgI engage a single tab betivee them.

8. llhe combination with a rectangular sheet, having` tf-shaped notches, in opposite edges theeof, adapted to engage tiling means; of tiling means in cooperative relation with said sheet including another sheet ha ing tabs cut therein and Witnin the opposite edges thereof, and adapted to overlap said first sheet in Wedging engagement in the notches thereof, wherebyv said filing means detachably holds said sheet.

9. The combination With a rectangular sheet, having l-shaped notches, in opposite edges thereof, adapted Vlo engage liling of tiling means in cooperative relation th said sheet including another sheet having tabs cut therei. and Within the opposite edges thereof, and adapted to overlap said .first sheet in tie notches thereof; said tabs being ii-shaped, and adapted for mutual Wedging engagement of said sheet and filing means; Wherebj-,fv said filing means detachably holds said sheet.

i0. A rectangular filing sheet having inwardly converging tabs cut therein and within the opposite edges thereof, and having their free edges extending oppositel)7 toward the medial port-ion of said sheet.

il. A rectangular' tiling sheet having tabs cut therein and Within the opposite edges thereof, and having their free edges entending eppositely toward the medial portion of said sheet; tahs being l."-shapr-zd.

ln testimony whereof, l have hereunto signed my name at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, this 3d day of August, 1926.

JAMES L. GARFIELD. 

